A St. Mary’s County commissioner suggested Tuesday putting some local effort into expanding a state road in Great Mills.

Commissioner Todd Morgan (R) raised the idea of county government working with the Maryland State Highway Administration to expand Route 5 in Great Mills.

Morgan said the county’s department of public works and transportation could assist in the design and engineering to add one or two lanes to Route 5 from Great Mills Road to Flat Iron Road.

Obviously “the county cannot build the state road,” Morgan said Wednesday. The two-lane highway either needs an additional lane or two, he said.

The intersection of Great Mills Road and Route 5 is the scene of evening traffic backups as workers from Webster Field in St. Inigoes move north. Last year, the Maryland State Highway Administration recorded an average daily traffic count there of 17,962 vehicles.

To expand the bridge over the St. Mary’s River, which dates back to 1956, would be a significant cost, state road officials previously said.

Commissioner Dan Morris (R) suggested adding Route 5 from Moakley Street to Hollywood Road in Leonardtown to the county’s wish list. The State Highway Administration is already studying how to expand the road there.

The average daily traffic count on that stretch of road was 21,982 vehicles last year.